Spike.



L. .T1 LAPAUGH;

SPIE.

nrmonlol uns 421.10. 1901.

1,031,349. Patented .my 2, 1912.

Loom T. La B AUGH, or Urrea, NEW Yoiuc 1 'To .alvzwlwm #may vco'mzerfn:-

'.jBeit-.known that I,1 `LoUIExT. LA PAUGH, a :citizen :of thelUnited States, residing at -'Utica',in the county of Oneida and State of -New1York, havewinvented cert-ain .new and i.. useful Improvements in Spikes, of which the -followingis a speqiticatiomreference being 'had therein to the yaccompanying drawing.

My'invention relates to an improved railway spike, and Iv declare that the following is a full, clear, concise and exact description thereof sutlicient toenable one skilled in the art to make and use the same'refe'rence being had to the accompanyin drawings in.

which like letters-andnumera s refer to like parts/throughout. .-1

While the invention is designated as a railwayspike ity will be seen that it is more than that since it comprises means not only '-for vholding the rail lto the tie butl also for v holding the' spike in place' to insuresuch hold and therewith to add a 'supp-ort' to 4the rail-tread and alsol secondary means engaging the tie increasingthe resistance to the spread" of the rails. The advantages of all t ese features are Ievident to all who have any lacquaintance.with such matters.

In the drawings I have illustrated the device in one form as applied to a tie and rail and have shown a modification.

" fr Figure lfis an end View of a rail support- "ed: on a tie with a'spike of one form. Figs'.

2 and3, are Iside views of therail withthe other parts, Fig. 3 being a slightly modified form.

In the figures A shows the tie and B the rail with base 1, web 2 and tread 3. The spike has the ordinary shank 4 withhead 5 having the inward extension 6 to clamp against the bevel top of the base. In my improved spike the head may be made somewhat thicker and broader. elongated into a prong or lock 7. The spike is made of such material and the lock is made of such shape and size that it is capable of being bent into a given position after the spike is driven home with its head tlghtagainst the base. The normal posltlon of the lock or prong is shown by the full hnes in the 'figures and its changed position, when in locking position, by the dotted lines.

The prong is of the proper len h so that, when the spike is driveh home an the prong Specification of Letters Patent.

applicati@ filed April 1o, 1907. Vserial no. 367,405.

Its inner end is SPIKE.

Patented July 2', 1.91.2.

T by a blow of the Sledge is bent tothe rail, the end of the prong will have a close bearing 'against the under face of the tread as seen in Fig.. 1. A

It is a well -known vfact that the passing of traftic over the rails tends to loosen the spikeswhich are also acted upon by weather Condit-lons, and that the tendency .is for the 'splkes to work loose and at certain times requirespecial attention to maintain any degree of safety in the road-bed. By the use of the prong or lock the spike, when once driven home, is held in place, and cannot be moved separate from the rail. This obviates the ei'ect of constant Working of the spikein its socket which tends constautl to reduce the strength of its hold in the tie, but,

'on the other hand, the original grip of the spike in the tie is maintained practically intact, being diminlshed only by such Superior forces as are capable of extracting the spikeY through the agency of thc rail. In short,

all possible play between the rail-and thel spike has been eliminated as also' the effect -of a'll forces external to the construction itself.

The head of the spike is ext-endedloutwardly in a form`which gives added `lateral resistance, against the spreading of the rails for instance.- This is shown at 8 in Fig. l, the lateral extension'having, in that case, downward extending prong -9 to be `embedded in the tie `when the spike is driven in. As seen in Fig. 2 this-projection 8 and prong 9, are considerably wider than the spike shank and this increase of'bearing surface may be carried to a greater degree, both in width and depth of the prong, forming a much greater support than possible were it the Width of the spike or spike head and adding very materially, even in the form shown, to the power of the spike to resist the lateral strain which is naturally applied to its head and tends to bend thel spike and loosen its grip.

` It is evident that the spike can be made in a variety ot forms, with different styles and arrangement of the several elements or fea- -tures'pointed out. Thus, as ingFig. 3 the lhead 5 and projection 6 may be--made of -greater mass, the prong 7 projecting-at an. angle and having its .base more solid, the.

bend being applied nearer itsV tip. The

lot.

fio

extends Obli'quely downward.

, I amlayvare 'that various kinds beve-.been produeedfor'such' uses, but "it .jcharaeteristic ofxny devieejthet the head 'of'. .the spike presents: @sui/'face "for driving-'thel saine which-is dist-inet from .the meanspiq vided toho1d-tbe-spike` in place by its, er1- -gagement fwith the tread.` Convers e1"y, ftheprong which yis f )rovid'edv for 'such v purpose is; independent of' the head' off the l spike fand* extended .to oneside'thereof so-'thatthe s ike -fcgmibe dri-venzwithout touching orlben ing lor-y'weakening''theprong .and without the; prong beinl strainedL to one side toclcar -thorail inr l -of such cher'oter 'that' the spikeftia-nf :bei -driven -in an .direction andthe--pro1ig stillLQ 'beedsip'ted' o engngeI-the-rail. tread. The-- ivingjthe spike.l j The .prong'- ist.

prong is also distinct" fror'n'the overlapping portion ofthe head which engages-the 'rail-1 base, and such' overlapping'portion is--a'lso distinct from thedrivinghead of the l Spike fextending-t'o one side of the portion which receives the blows, so`that the blows of the driving hamnierdo not tend in any way'to weaken the Yoverhenging portion. .The ,iise' ofthe prong in any manner or underl any' conditionTend Ieven its absence, in vI'iov'vis'e.f j-

' lessensthe function of the overlapping por'-` tion nor thatof any other'. .portions of the'.- spike. I thus'coxnbie a spike, piirefand'V simp1e,'a lateral tie brace on oneside, arailbase-engaging member, anda railtread-en-l gaging member, each distinct end indep'endently vested with its full functions* Without.v in any degree interfering with or reducing:v

*the efiicienoy of 'any of the others, o r innny';

vwey interfering with thel's'ame in any manner of their use. 1

Other modifications need :not bef illus; I

trated as those shown willh make the invention clear and indicate its purpose and scope.

of the' spike, andthe overlapping Having described my .inv ant io'n, what- I claim esv newfendfdesire to seuref-byLetteis.

t farther in' ngin' a reduced andfplible. 'prong'. adapted-to befbent'to. cont-ect 'with 'the under face o'fjthef' tread. ofthe rail, substantially es .spikehevingfa Shank., :1i-head] .threomasid. head being. widened and extending':outwrdlygtofforma bearing'on the e.

VtopA of the tie,A andextending 'farther and downwardly n. s ub'stgntial .--dist-ance aja pllon of substantiallygreter width than the s ank,andqforming.anextended beifing 'surface'in the tie against the outward Avpresdiminished from that' of '.theshank. and` .the

head, andloc'nted free offt'hedriving'head v portion of" 'the' head,l and made of a m'oep by tobe readily bent inwardly under the.;

*tended inwardly f to` over1ep"the rail-base', "and havingaprong o f-n size..considerably-4 tread' Vof theV rall to contact therewithfa'nd to bebent from Seidl-position without'a'ectf tions ofthe spike, substantially as described.

In testimonywhereo Iv :1 -Bix my 'signeture .8

in presence V'of 

